Day #207 - Thirsty

The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder

“You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭63:1-4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash

What is the most desperate you have ever been for water?

Have you ever experienced thirst so intensely that your life depended on it? I know playing sports has got be really parched at certain times. But preaching has probably made me even more thirsty than playing sports. However, I can’t recall any times where I have been so thirsty as if my life has depended upon it. There are places in the world where access to good, clean, fresh water is not available and people have thirsted to death. You can live for weeks without food, but you can only live a few days without water.

In Psalm 63, David is in a life threatening situation again. In this dangerous situation in a desert, David is longing for God like he is longing for water. David uses the desperation of his situation as fuel for his devotion to God. David longs and thirsts for God like a dying man in a desert longs for water.

David remembers the power and glory of being in God’s sanctuary. What is David saying? He remembers “the Presence.” He is desperate for “the Presence” of God as a dying man in a desert is thirsty for water. David knows that God’s love is even better than life. David has a holy ache to dwell with God. David has a discipline to practice “the Presence” even when his life is on the line. He thirsts to be with God more than anything.

David knows that water will satisfy him, but there is a greater longing that David has to be satisfied with God Himself.

We are all longing for God whether we know if or not. Do we love God like David? Do we long for God like David? Are we thirsty for God more than we are thirsty for water? Is “the Presence” the greatest pursuit of our lives? Let us worship and long for Him like a dying man thirsts for water in a dry and parched land.

Lord Jesus, I thirst for You. I long to dwell with You. I repent for longing for anything more than I long for You. There is nothing in this world that can satisfy me like Your presence. Your love is better than my life. I praise You and lift my hands before You. In Your name, amen.